On March 10, the "so-called" Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) was introduced in both the House and the Senate. The legislation was introduced with significant Democratic support, but the total number of cosponsors was less than in 2007 and the Democratic leaders' expectations. The decrease in support indicates that the voices of businesses and other groups in opposition are reaching leaders on Capitol Hill. AGC members across the country have been especially vocal in their opposition by delivering over 15,000 messages to their elected officials through AGC's Legislative Action Center. While the response has been overwhelming, the expectation that Democratic leaders will move forward with the legislation remains, possibly later this spring or summer.The legislation would deprive millions of employees the right to a private vote when deciding whether or not to unionize. It would hurt construction workers and make it very difficult for small construction companies to grow, hire or succeed. This legislation could also lead to federally mandated employment terms for construction firms. Though most of the focus of this bill has been the impact on open shop employers and their employees, EFCA is also likely to have a negative effect on union contractors and their 8(f) "pre-hire agreements." Visit www.agc.org/efca to learn more about the impact of EFCA on union contractors, view the white paper, or download a podcast of the impact EFCA will have on employers.AGC encourages members to continue to use AGC's Legislative Action Center to write and let their Members of Congress know their opposition to EFCA. AGC also urges employers to communicate with their management level employees and direct them to the Legislative Action Center as well. Currently, the grassroots campaign has been successful and will need to continue in the states of swing senators in Colorado, Louisiana, Arkansas, Virginia, Nebraska and North Carolina. These senators must not only oppose passage of EFCA, but must also oppose procedural votes such as cloture votes on EFCA.

On March 17-20, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) held a series of public hearings on Crane and Derricks in Construction.Several AGC members provided testimony on March 19, including Art Daniel (AR Daniel Construction Services, Inc.), Mitch White (Manson Construction) and Randy Rogers (Williams Brothers Construction). Richard Voorhees (Weeks Marine, Inc.) will testify tomorrow.For more information on the history of the Crane and Derricks in Construction proposed rule and AGC's comments during the C-DAC process or the SBREFA panel, click here. Also, visit AGC Advocacy to review regulations and comments submitted by AGC on Safety and Health regulations throughout the year.Previous AGC Safety and Health Newsletter articles related to the same topic:AGC Comments and Requests Public Hearings on Proposed Crane and Derricks Standard OSHA Grants Extension for Public Comments on Crane and Derricks OSHA Publishes Crane and Derricks Proposal

This week, the "so-called" Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) was introduced in both the House and the Senate. While H.R. 1409 had 223 cosponsors and S. 560 had 40 cosponsors, the total number of cosponsors was less than supporters had hoped, indicating that businesses and other groups in opposition are making a strong case to leaders on Capitol Hill. AGC released a statement March 10 in response to the introduction of card check and announced that more than 10,000 AGC members had sent messages to Congress in opposition to the legislation. That number has grown to over 14,000 in just three days.This bill would deprive millions of employees the right to a private vote when deciding whether or not to unionize. It would hurt construction workers and make it very difficult for small construction companies to grow, hire or succeed. This legislation would also lead to federally mandated employment terms for construction firms.Though most of the focus of this bill has been the impact on open shop employers and their employees, EFCA is also likely to have a negative effect on union contractors and their 8(f) "pre-hire agreements." Visit www.agc.org/efca to learn more about the impact of EFCA on union contractors.AGC strongly opposes this legislation. Please continue to use AGC's Legislative Action Center to write and let your Members of Congress know your opposition to EFCA. The Senators in Colorado, Louisiana, Arkansas, Virginia, Nebraska and North Carolina are considered key in stopping EFCA from moving forward, but all Members of Congress need to hear from you. It is important to stress to your Senators that it is not enough just to oppose the bill, but to oppose any procedural votes such as cloture votes on EFCA.

The U.S. House of Representatives today approved a bill to reauthorize two federal programs that provide financing for wastewater infrastructure upgrades, repair and reconstruction. The vote was 317 to 101 in support of H.R. 1262, the Water Quality Investment Act of 2009.The bill would provide a total of $19.4 billion over five years in authorization of appropriations for wastewater infrastructure projects, including $13.8 billion for the Clean Water State Revolving Loan Fund (SRF) program. These funds provide low-interest loans and additional loan subsidizations to communities for wastewater infrastructure. Funds are distributed to states based on a statutory formula and are made available through the annual appropriations process. For a state-by-state breakdown of funding that is authorized, click here.The bill also includes $2.5 billion for the sewer overflow control grants program. This program provides grants to communities to control combined sewer overflows (CSOs) and sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs), which are overflows of untreated waste that can occur during wet weather events.

President Obama Wednesday quietly signed into law the $410 billion Omnibus Appropriations Act for FY 2009, officially completing work on last year's budget process. The Senate approved the bill late Tuesday, after delaying the vote on final passage for several days due to concerns over whether there were sufficient votes in the Senate to pass the bill and forcing Congress to enact a short-term resolution to fund the government through mid-week.An AGC analysis of the omnibus appropriations bill shows that Congress would increase funding for federal construction programs by 5.5 percent above the FY 2008 level. AGC found that Congress provided $115.6 billion for federal construction programs in FY 2008. The omnibus would provide $121.9 billion for the same accounts. To view a chart comparing the amounts in the omnibus with the levels Congress enacted in FY 2008 and those President Bush recommended in his FY 2009 budget request to Congress, click here.

AGC today issued a statement on proposed card check legislation that would deprive America's workers of a free, fair and private vote. View the statement here.

"It is deeply disturbing that some in Congress would attempt to add yet another hardship to America's workers by seeking to deprive them of the right to a free, fair and private vote. The proposed card check legislation is fundamentally unfair to millions of construction workers, will disrupt collective bargaining agreements already in place and will deprive workers and their employers of the right to set pay and work rules.""The legislation also takes important business decisions away from workers and employers and puts them into the hands of Washington-appointed arbitrators with little to no experience in construction. Our union and non-union members agree that this legislation will deprive workers of basic rights and distract the nation from what must still be done to jump start the economy. That is why our members have sent almost 11,000 messages to Congress in opposition to this legislation over the past several weeks, and that is why our 33,000 member companies and their employees will continue to be heard on this issue."

The nation's largest construction association, the Associated General Contractors of America, today called on its 33,000 member companies to immediately contact their Representatives and Senators and urge them to oppose proposed "card check" legislation. The legislation, which would deprive millions of employees of the right to a private election to decide whether to unionize, would hurt construction workers and make it very difficult for small construction companies to grow, hire or succeed."If this bill were to pass, employees would suffer the most," said the association's chief executive officer, Stephen E. Sandherr. "In exchange for workplace disruptions, lost rights and federally mandated employment terms, this bill offers nothing that would benefit the nation's economy."Sandherr said the bill, labeled the Employee Free Choice Act, would take away a worker's right to a private vote in deciding whether to form a union. He noted that the association, which represents both union and non-union construction companies, has long supported time honored rules guaranteeing workers the ability to make one of the most important choices of their working career in a way that is free of coercion or intimidation from either side.He added that the legislation also requires the federal government to appoint an arbitrator to impose terms of employment for America's business workers if their unions and managers can't reach a deal in 130 days. Currently, the federal government can only impose an outside arbitrator if either side fails to negotiate in good faith.He said the 130-day provision was particularly problematic for the construction industry because over 90 percent of construction companies are small businesses that employ fewer than 100 people. He said the prospect of having government-appointed officials with little experience in construction dictate labor agreements would discourage would-be employers from starting their own operations. As a result, Sandherr said, the card check legislation would lead to the consolidation of the construction industry into a handful of large companies with the resources to cope with Washington-directed labor agreements. "Gone would be the innovations brought on by entrepreneurs and the satisfaction of working for a small company that operates like a family," he added.The association is asking its member companies to contact their representatives directly by logging on to www.agc.org/lac. "We're going to let Congress know this bill will give America's workers the following benefits: it will deprive them of their right to a private election, it will limit economic growth and it will stifle job creation for years to come," Sandherr said.

During AGC's 90th Annual Convention in San Diego, March 4-7, chief economist Ken Simonson and CEO Stephen Sandherr outlined details on the recently-enacted stimulus legislation. Simonson and Sandherr explained how the stimulus will improve employment and business prospects for the industry and help local communities rebuild gaining infrastructure.The San Diego Union-Tribune attended the event, as did several other media outlets. AGC regularly updates it's stimulus Web site, www.agc.org/stimulus with details on stimulus funding.

It is widely expected that supporters of the "so-called" Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) will seek to introduce this legislation next week. This bill would deprive millions of employees the right to a private vote when deciding whether or not to unionize. It would hurt construction workers and make it very difficult for small construction companies to grow, hire or succeed. This legislation would also lead to federally mandated employment terms for construction firms.Though most of the focus of this bill has been the impact on open shop employers and their employees, EFCA is also likely to have a negative effect on union contractors and their 8(f) "pre-hire agreements." Please go to www.agc.org/efca to learn more about the impact of EFCA on union contractors.AGC strongly opposes this legislation. AGC members have sent over 4,000 letters to legislators over the last few weeks to speak out against EFCA Please continue to use AGC's Legislative Action Center to write and let your Members of Congress know your opposition to EFCA. The Senators in Colorado, Louisiana, Arkansas, Virginia, Nebraska and North Carolina are considered key in stopping EFCA from moving forward, but all Members of Congress need to hear from you.It is important to stress to your Senators that it is not enough just to oppose the bill, but to oppose any procedural votes on EFCA.